Is Myanmar and Sri Lanka the only orthodox Theravada countries? I know Thailand is Theravada too but it seems to create a lot of EBT movement and Suttanta monks so I am not sure whether to classify it orthodox / classical. And Laos and Cambodia Theravada is almost identical to Thai buddhism.
all those countries have bhikkhus and laypeople with right understanding and wrong understanding. Of course the numbers may be higher or lower for each country.
This is purely a distortion based on where a large number of western monks have ordained. It says absolutely nothing about Thai Buddhist culture.
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Yes, it is totally true.
- I remember that when I was first ordained in Pa-Auk, I had the perception that Malaysia was a wealthy Buddhist Country because they were some of the biggest donors in 2001.
- When I was a lay programmer, I thought that all Russian Jews were smart because I was in the programming business and all of the Russian Jews were very intelligent, and I knew quite a few of them. A Russian Jew told me that this perception was distorted, because I was only sampling those who were in America versus Russia or Israel and also those who were immigrants programmers in America. He told me that Israel is easy to get to (you can get a free ticket and permission to leave), but America is takes more creativity to get into (this was back in the 90’s).
While it is rare for monks to follow the Vinaya fully, most monks study the proper texts in the proper traditional way. There are only about 12 monasteries in Thailand that follow the Dhamma and Vinaya in a pure way, but outside the Forest tradition, I think that a majority of the monastics do get classical Theravāda education. The real test is the testing number system.
Many monks from Cambodia and especially Laos go to Thailand for scholarship.
Many Cambodian monks go to Myanmar for scholarship too.
IIT seems to have a very large Lao group.
In some ways you are right, that Sri Lanka and Myanmar, but also Thailand have big certification programs with classical Theravāda education.
Forgive an AI Gemini 3 Pro answer, but here is a description:
Bhante, you are referring to the formal Pāḷi examination system of the Thai Saṅgha, known as the Parian Tham (or Parian Dhamma) system. This rigorous academic path is designed to ensure a deep, working mastery of the Pāḷi language, allowing monastics to accurately preserve, translate, and interpret the Tipiṭaka and its commentaries.
The system is notoriously difficult because it relies heavily on rote memorization, flawless grammar, and eventually, the ability to compose original works in Pāḷi. Very few reach the highest level; it can take decades of study, and in any given year, only a small handful of monks nationwide manage to pass the Level 9 examination.
Here is a breakdown of how the system works, the significance of the “Mahā” title, and what a student must master at each of the nine levels.
The Title “Mahā” (Great)
A bhikkhu does not need to reach Level 9 to earn the title. The title Mahā is officially bestowed upon a monk when he successfully passes Level 3. It is placed before his given name (e.g., Mahā Somchai) and serves as a public marker that he is a recognized scholar of Pāḷi. If a monk disrobes after achieving this, laypeople will often still respectfully refer to him with the title “Mahā” in secular life.
The 9 Levels of Parian Tham
The curriculum is divided into three tiers: Elementary (Levels 1–3), Intermediate (Levels 4–6), and Advanced (Levels 7–9).
Elementary Tier (Parian Tri)
- Levels 1 & 2 (Prayok 1-2): These are typically studied and tested together. This is the foundational stage. The focus is intensely on Pāḷi grammar (Vyākaraṇa) and basic translation of the Dhammapada commentaries from Pāḷi into Thai.
- Level 3 (Prayok 3): The student faces advanced grammar tests and must translate more complex sections of the Dhammapada commentaries from Pāḷi into Thai. Passing this level earns the monk the title of Mahā. The Thai Ministry of Education recognizes this tier as equivalent to a junior high school education.
Intermediate Tier (Parian Tho)
- Level 4 (Prayok 4): The difficulty ramps up significantly because the direction of translation reverses. Monks must now translate Thai text back into proper Pāḷi, using the Dhammapada commentaries as the standard for vocabulary and syntax.
- Level 5 (Prayok 5): Students must demonstrate fluency in both directions, translating the Dhammapada commentaries from Pāḷi to Thai, and from Thai to Pāḷi, with strict penalties for grammatical errors.
- Level 6 (Prayok 6): The curriculum moves beyond the Dhammapada and introduces the Samantapāsādikā (the great commentary on the Vinaya Piṭaka). Monks must translate it from Pāḷi to Thai, while continuing to translate Thai into Pāḷi. The state recognizes passing Level 6 as equivalent to a high school diploma.
Advanced Tier (Parian Ek)
- Level 7 (Prayok 7): Students are introduced to the Maṅgalatthadīpanī, a highly complex and revered Pāḷi commentary authored in 16th-century Lanna (northern Thailand). They must translate this text, along with further studies of the Samantapāsādikā.
- Level 8 (Prayok 8): The monk must now translate the Visuddhimagga (Buddhaghosa’s monumental “Path of Purification”) from Pāḷi to Thai, and the Samantapāsādikā from Thai to Pāḷi. Additionally, students are tested on Pāḷi prosody and must demonstrate the ability to compose original Pāḷi poetry and metrical verses (Chanda).
- Level 9 (Prayok 9): The absolute pinnacle of Thai monastic education. The monk must translate highly technical and philosophical texts—such as the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha and the Visuddhimagga—from Thai into flawless Pāḷi. They are also tested on advanced Pāḷi verse composition.
Because Level 9 requires such a profound linguistic and philosophical mastery of the Dhamma, the Thai government formally recognizes the achievement as equivalent to a secular Bachelor’s degree. Achieving Prayok 9 is a cause for immense celebration within a monk’s monastery and province, often involving royal recognition.
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Yes, my understanding is that monks who have a classical education (in both senses of the word) would also study Vinaya, but it would be taught more as a historical subject, not as a foundation for practice. I’m afraid that the study of the Abhidhamma and commentaries would also be done in a similar spirit.
Yes, it becomes an academic game to the monks when it comes to the study of most Vinaya. However, there is a strong focus on the Pārājika Pāli and the commentaries for that. There is a lot of information and it is relevant to the monks who follow mostly heavy rules.
The same is done with Abhidhamma. Abhidhamma can be a wonderful practice-based methodology, but instead it is treated as an intellectual and academic game. Although this is only seen in the level 9 exams, surely they do indeed study this earlier on.
The testing requirements are not just what they study too. Take IIT for example. The goal is nissayamutta, but they take 6 years to study a lot more than that.
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